


REGRETPLATES (CANCELLED)

by QueenWoomy



Category: Undertale
Genre: "where's gaster" says nobody, A LOT of Character Death, Alternate Universe, And he and Error are on chill terms, Angst, Babybones (Undertale), Berry also is your mother, Berry is everybody's mother, Brotherly Angst, Child Abuse, F/F, F/M, Fresh also has emotions too, Good Chara, Grapefruit has a GIRLFRIEND and you can't STOP HER, Grillby be like "what about the children??? I know we're at war but. Think of the babies", Handplates, I swear to god you will hate Ink in this, Ink is a little shit, Lots of Angst, M/M, MY SF Papyrus likes PEANUT BUTTER, Mal finally exists, OCs - Freeform, Older Geno Older Error and Neon are all also older MCQ bros, Papyrus gets to suffer too, Past Child Abuse, Red is an ass, Redeemed Chara, Sans ALSO HAS A GIRLFRIEND, Sans is going to suffer I assure you, So does Red, So does Undyne, This is an AU of everything at this point but you already knew that didn't you, You have no idea how much angst is in this, also teenage angst bc they're teenagers so duh, also the bros have PTSD, and hugs, but Mal had nothing to do with MCQ, but not alone, by the way did i mention there's character death in here, every single character in this fic needs fucking therapy, everyone is Error, god there are three Errors in here, good Error, he is too great, he is working with lizard lady, he will take every child off the streets you cannot stop him, long story short everyone suffers, more tags will be added, people gunna be traumatized, people gunna cry, people gunna die, please hug them, plot twists and twist plots, poor Papy is single af tho, ships, so do half these characters, swearing too, there's like, they desperately need hugs, yeh Sans is making Mettaton, you see Ink over there? he's probably Error too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24275029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenWoomy/pseuds/QueenWoomy
Summary: Four years ago, every single AU in the history of Undertale was released at the same time, and began to live on the same surface in harmony. However, history has been written wrong, as several AUs were released later than they should have been, due to being set in the past or future. Handplates was one of these AUs. Being released four years later than expected, W.D. Gaster was forced to slow experimentation on his subjects, 1S and 2P, so he would be able to figure out what to do with them. He was on the bridge of deciding to stop the project all together and bring them with him to the surface world, however....That's not how this story goes.
Relationships: AfterDeath - Relationship, CherryBerry, Errorberry, MalRose, Skesh, honeypb, nighterror
Comments: 10
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Handplates](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/622543) by zarla. 



> Here we are! I've decided to bring my Handplates AU to Archive. I have been writing it on DeviantART, but as everything is going on there, I'll be doing updates both here and on dA! Happy reading!

1S popped out of the strange box that had brought him here. His bones ached and sweat from the strange heat he had never felt before, his eye sockets darting around in search of the doctor who created him. 

  
"i can handle this," He whispered to himself, "he won't kill me." It was a foolish attempt as reassuring himself, but it helped nonetheless.  


  
  
Finally, he spotted him. the , his good eye socket flaring a dark purple color. He glanced around the area. There - a gap. Right where Gaster was standing. He could push him, but he might never make it back up. 1S took a deep breath, working to calm himself. His brother would be safe from the tests and torture, that was all that mattered to him. Then, without a second thought, 1S rushed forward towards Gaster as fast as he could manage, the purple glow being replaced with red.

  
  
_"What are you doing out of the lab?"_ Gaster gasped, his one eye socket staring right at the little skeleton bolting towards him. Then, before he realized what was happening, 1S pushed him. As he predicted, he would fall down with him. Tears welled up in his eye sockets -

  
"BROTHER! NO!"  


  
1S felt something grasp his robe, preventing him from falling to his inevitable doom. Gaster seemed to reach out towards them pleadingly as the burning liquid below engulfed his bones, and soon, shattered the doctor's soul. 2P gasped from above, lifting 1S up back to the ground, and hugged him tightly. The small skeleton stayed still.

  
It was a strange feeling - and it hurt. It hurt, and 1S didn't know why it did. He saved his brother - he saved himself, didn't he? 

  
"ARE YOU HURT, BROTHER?" 2P asked, still keeping his arms wrapped around 1S.

  
1S shook his head, his eye socket glowing a dark purple tint. "n-no, i'm fine." He shuttered. "…i'm fine."  


  
"HE FELL-" 2P started "H-HE FELL! BROTHER HE'S-"

  
  
Suddenly, a tight hand gripped 2P's arm, a tall figure snarling angrily. 1S' eye socket flared a bright blue. The skeleton was much taller than Gaster was, and he had a dastardly mask covering his face. The mask had a twisted smile covering it. 

  
  
**"You two are coming with me."**

  


  


  


  


  


1S let out a silent huff as he leaned his spine against the walls of his cell, staring up at the ceiling as he fiddled with his robe. The skeleton let out a silent hiss of pain, rubbing the huge bandage covering his blinded eye socket. _cramp._ He thought with a low growl. _why didn't this new doctor let us escape, huh? why did he keep us here?_  


  
It had been several weeks since he and his brother had been locked back into the labs. 1S looked up when the echoing sounds of footsteps came from the hallway. The short skeleton let out a breath of relief when 2P stepped into the room, the color cube in hand. 

  
  
"oh, hey bro." 1S greeted, offering his brother a calm smile, one 2P surprisingly didn't return.

  
  
"HEY." He whispered, tossing his unfinished puzzle onto the floor, lacking his usual enthusiasm. After the brothers' failed escape attempt, 2P had fallen into a more quiet and sad attitude, losing the spark of light he once held close. 1S hated seeing his brother like this - he always felt like he was the one to blame. Maybe if they didn't try to escape and just waited, everything would be fine. Or Gaster would have gone back to torturing them again.  


  
  
"hey," 1S whispered, his usual smile replaced with a sly, hopeful one. "why don't we try talking to the new doctor, huh? i know you like doing that." His eye socket blinked its usual blue color. "or maybe you can make me a puzzle? i really love those bro, you know that right?"

  
  
2P frowned, his gaze drifting to his feet. "YEAH." He mumbled, clumsily walking over beside his brother and sitting there, curling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

  
  
"hey, come on… what happened to the brother who always believed?" 1S asked, his eye light changing to a darker blue. "'cuz i really miss him. so come on bro. smile for me? please?"

  
  
2P clasped his hands together, sucking in air as he leaned his back against 1S'. "OKAY, BROTHER," He gave a soft smile, causing 1S to relax, his tiny SOUL pounding with happiness and relief. "FOR YOU."

  
  
"that's the spirit," 1S sighed happily. "see? we're gonna be out of here someday."

  
  
2P looked up at the ceiling curiously. "DO YOU THINK THE NEW DOCTOR WILL BE TESTING ON US?"

  
  
1S shrugged. "i don't know, he hasn't yet." His eye socket brightened when he remembered something - a book in wingdings he had found about the surface. He had snuck it into his cell one night and read it while 2P slept with his head on his lap. "remember that book i had read a while back?"

  
  
2P tilted his head. "YES, BUT WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?" He asked.

  
  
"i guess it was talking about this place where… they do tests on you like he did, but they do it longer, but they don't have barriers, or stab metal plates into your hands, or shoot lasers onto your eyes!" 1S gave a big, clumsy smile. "cool, huh?"

  
  
"WOAH…" 2P breathed, his eye sockets giving that familiar, excited sparkle. "NO BARRIERS - AND THEY LEARN?"

  
  
1S nodded. "yep, but it said humans _and_ monsters that learn together. but _he_ said that humans were untrustworthy…"

  
  
2P huffed. "THAT'S WHAT HE THOUGHT!" He exclaimed. "BUT THEY MUST BE BETTER NOW!"

  
  
1S shrugged lazily. "mk bro." 

  
  
"BUT… DO YOU THINK HE WOULD LET US GO?" 2P asked. "THE NEW DOCTOR, I MEAN."

  
  
"no," 1S responded, heaving himself up from the floor with a dark expression. "you can ask him when we go out for tests, but i doubt it."

  
  
**"I'm afraid there will no longer be any tests, little ones."** 1S' head perked up when he heard the familiar sound of the barrier holding them into their cell deactivating, the tall, creepy figure of the new doctor towering over the two subjects. 1S gulped nervously as something soft was handed to him and his brother, both of their eye sockets lighting up in their respective colors with confusion. **"Your previous experimenter was hardly following protocol. You are both living beings with souls, and should be treated as such, not as lab rats."** 1S blinked in shock, staring at the soft fabric in his hands as the doctor helped 2P out of his robes and into his own fluffy, warm fabric. **"I overheard your discussion about education."** He said simply. **"Once you learn the common way of life on the surface, I will enroll you both in an elementary school with my two sons."**  


  
1S' gaze faltered. It - it couldn't be this easy, could it? He had given up everything to try to escape, and he just gets let out? Just like that? This had to be a dream, maybe a little fantasy he was seeing. 

  
  
"WHAT'S A SON?" 2P asked, his eye sockets glowing brightly in excitement. "WHAT'S AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL? WHAT'S IT LIKE OUTSIDE? WH-"

  
  
**"A son is - well, you'll learn that later."** The doctor muttered. **"And you will no longer need to call me 'doctor'. I am Fellgaster, or FG, for short. If you want, you can call me father."** Fellgaster explained. 

  
  
"hey, what's a father?" 1S asked as Fellgaster now slid the smaller skeleton's robe off. 

  
  
**"What your previous doctor should have been, but was not."** He said simply, sliding the fabric over 1S' skull. **"He could have raised you the way an adult should do to children, but he did not. But I can be that father for you."**

  
  
1S shuttered. He didn't quite trust this monster. Of course, however, 2P did. The other skeleton bounced excitedly as Fellgaster stepped away from them, opening a portal and stepping through, a huge room that neither skeleton recognized on the other side. 

  
  
**"Just step through here - mind the floor, I've just cleaned it…"** Fellgaster muttered. 2P ran through excitedly, a huge smile on his face as his plate shimmered with the light of the portal as both skeletons disappeared through. 1S, however, only stared at the portal, then to his plate. This had to be a silly dream, right? He'd immediately wake up back in his cell, right? 1S blinked, sucking in a deep breath, his bones rattling silently as he stepped through the portal, watching his own plate shimmer from the light, only feeling regret weigh down his soul. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which 1S is an angy boy

1S blinked as the lab around him was replaced with warm blue walls, and a squishy, strange fabric underneath his feet. His gaze drifted around the room, spotting a desk scattered with papers, and a small, square glass enclosure with what looked like a photo inside. He had no time to look before he felt 2P grip his arm excitedly, dragging him to the other side of the room. 1S' vision took him elsewhere, however. His sockets drifted towards a door at the end of the room, which led into what looked like a bright green hallway. The skeleton stepped forward silently, but his arm was grabbed tightly by Fellgaster.

  
**"You must stay in here for now."** He ordered. 1S shuttered, freezing immediately from the sudden change of heart Fellgaster had shown as he slowly looked away from the hallway, his gaze now locked on the glassed in photograph, not realizing his brother had snuck up beside him and had given him a tight hug.

"OH BROTHER, ISN'T THIS AMAZING?" 2P cajoled, his eye sockets glowing a bright green color. "WE'RE FINALLY FREE NOW!"

  
  
1S gagged, his eye socket flaring up. _"bro… i-i love you t-too… b-but i c-can't… b-breathe!"_ He gasped.

  
  
2P's grasp loosened immediately, his eye sockets the size of a needle in worry. "OH, I'M SO SORRY BROTHER!" He cried. "ARE YOU OKAY? DID I HURT YOU? PLEASE D-DON'T DIE!"

  
  
"i'm not gonna die!" 1S reassured, patting his taller brother on the shoulder as he continued to catch his breath. "see? i'm fine - no need to worry."

  
2P let out a shaky sign in relief, wrapping his arms around his brother once more, this time much more gentle. 1S heard the footsteps of Fellgaster circling around them, making his bones shiver with unease.

  
  
"BROTHER?" 

  
**"You two will follow me."** Fellgaster demanded, waving his hands towards the two skeletons. **"We have to start your lessons immediately."**

  
  
"lessons?" 1S' eye socket flared in disbelief. He _knew_ this was all a trick!

  
  
**"Yes,"** Fellgaster responded simply, opening another portal with the wave of his hand. **"Just English and Monster Common lessons, no need to worry, child."**

  
  
"EN…GLISH?" 2P blinked in curiosity. "WHAT'S THAT? AND WHAT'S MONSTER COMMON?"

  
  
**"Both are the languages most humans and monsters in Ebbot City speak. There are other languages, however, such as French, German, Hebrew, and so on."** Fellgaster explained, peeking his head through the portal to make sure it was the right destination before stepping through, taking both the boys' hands with his own and walking in with them.

  
  
1S immediately felt something strange on his feet - it was soft and fuzzy. His eye sockets flickered in curiosity, slowly kneeling down to feel it with his plated hand. The floor was soft - weird. The floors 1S were used to were cold and hard.

  
  
**"That is carpet."** Fellgaster informed, noticing 1S' curious, yet confused, expression, one which his brother also bore across his face.

  
  
"IT'S SO SOFT!" 2P exclaimed. "DO YOU FEEL IT, BROTHER?"

  
  
1S nodded, his permanent smile widening. "yeah!" He responded excitedly. "i do!"

  
  
"ISN'T IT WEIRD? IT'S SO SOFT!"

  
  
1S' head bolted up when he heard Fellgaster stepping closer to his brother, taking his plated hand in his own. 1S looked on curiously, his eye sockets darkening as he watched every move of the doctor.

  
  
**"There's no way to get it off."** Fellgaster concluded with a sigh, rubbing his masked face with his other hand.

  
  
_"WHAT?"_ 2P cried out. "WHY?"

  
  
**"It could damage your HP badly,"** Fellgaster explained. **"Even with assistance, you will be dreadfully injured, but your brother will most certainly not make it very long."**

  
  
1S quivered. Yes, he wanted the plates off immediately, but was it that deeply drilled in? His eye sockets drifted to the metal plate on his hand, anger boiling in his soul. Why were these needed? They were a piece of garbage - that's what they were. He wanted them off, and he wanted them off now. Ignoring his brother's overthrowing questions for Fellgaster on what a hospital was - not like that would ever be of importance. The small skeleton nipped at the metal plate, the anger raging on as he tried and tried to pull it off. He hated this plate, and he hated everything about it. He continued snarling and biting at the plate - well, that was until he felt a strong grip on his wrist.

  
  
**"Don't do that."** Fellgaster commanded. **"You could damage your one HP. You know as well as I that nobody wants that."**

  
  
1S sighed. This was going to take a while.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We'll always be together, right Sans?" says Papyrus before they start hating each other

Several weeks had passed since Fellgaster had introduced 1S and 2P to the world above the lab they had been raised in. Since day one, the doctor had taught them English. Of course, they hadn't learned everything yet, but they knew common words, such as, "hello," and, "how are you?" Fellgaster had also been teaching them common functions and places on the surface, as well as advanced sign language when needed.

  
  
"WHAT'S THAT BIG BUILDING?" 2P asked, pointing to a huge building he had found while walking outside.

  
  
**"That is a work building."** Fellgaster replied. **"And on the roof there seems to be a pool… they must be a very wealthy company…"**

  
  
2P leaned near his brother, his eye sockets glowing their normal, orange color in confusion. _"WHAT DOES WEALTHY MEAN AGAIN? I FORGOT."_ He whispered.

  
  
_"it means they have a lot of money."_ 1S whispered back in reply.

  
Fellgaster started teaching the brothers how to read English as well, along with teaching them common math, science, and sports. 2P seemed excited about a sport Fellgaster called, "football," while 1S was something Fellgaster called a, "bookworm."

  
  
"what's a bookworm?" 1S had asked him.

  
  
**"It means you like reading lots books that interest you."** Fellgaster had responded, pointing his gloved hand towards the book 1S was reading, called, _"Scientific Theory."_

  
  
That day, however, Fellgaster was taking the brothers on a short walk around a big park with beautiful trees and dark purple and pink flowers blooming from the ground. 2P bombarded the doctor with questions on everything around them, like he did all the time.

  
  
"WHAT'S THAT?"

  
  
**"That's a bench."**

  
  
"HOW ABOUT THAT?"

  
  
**"That's a sign."**

  
"WHAT'S THAT BIG FLUFFY THING?"

  
  
**"That's a dog."**

"IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE THE FLUFFY BUNNY WE HAD IN OUR CELL."

**"I can assure you that it's not your Fluffy Bunny, child."**

  
  
1S was hardly paying attention. His gaze was trapped on another young skeleton with two small scars on their cheekbone.

  
  
**"Ah, yes, good to see her finally out of the hospital."** Fallgaster hummed. **"Poor thing, in there during Christmas…"**

  
  
"WHAT'S A HOSPITAL AGAIN?" 2P piped up.

  
  
"i thought we were the last skeletons?" 1S murmured, blinking up at Fellgaster.

  
  
**"Oh, most definitely not."** Fellgaster replied, completely ignoring 2P's question, much to the other's dismay. **"There are many AUs up here - AUs of AUs, even. And there are at least two to three skeletons in each AU - not counting Aftertale, of course…"**

  
  
"WHAT'S AN AU?" 2P asked, his eye sockets wide with curiosity.

  
  
**"An AU… how do I put this…"** Fellgaster rubbed his mask with one hand for several moments before he found the words. **"An AU stands for Alternative Universe. That means… different versions of you and your brother. For example, Underswap. Both your personalities are swapped, so 1S, you are much more hyper, and 2P, you're the lazy, overprotective one."**

  
  
2P huffed, folding his arms. "WHO WOULD MAKE ME LAZY?" He shouted.

  
  
"are you from our au?" 1S asked.

  
  
**"Yes and no."** Fellgaster responded simply. **"This surface world may be an AU, and it may not be. Your AU is what I like to call an… 'AU of an AU.' Your original AU is called Handplates, but who knows, this may be the original, and this may not."**

  
  
1S tilted his head at the small skeleton again before returning his gaze up to the taller skeleton. "what's his name?"

  
  
**"Her name."** Fellgaster corrected. **"And her name is Sketch Afterdeath. She's the daughter of two AUs - Aftertale and Reapertale."** He responded. **"She has very weak bones. A good HP, mind you - easy to hurt, hard to kill."**

  
  
1S, his interest peaked, tried to take a step towards Sketch, but Fellgaster gripped his arm, his eye sockets flashing behind his terrifying mask. **"You can introduce yourselves to her once you start school, it's time to go home."**

  
"CAN I BUNDLE IN MY BLANKETS?" 2P begged. "IT'S COLD OUT HERE!"

  
  
**"Yes."** Fellgaster replied simply. **"Now hurry up, we're using a portal-"**

  
  
But just before 1S stepped through, he realized the girl was looking right at him.

1S landed face first on his soft bed, letting out a huge sigh of relief. 2P, as he promised, immediately dove into his bed full of blankets and plushie piles, burying himself within the warmth. 1S smiled, closing his eye sockets and letting his mind drift.

  
  
"WE NEED NAMES, DON'T WE?"

  
  
His brother's voice broke into 1S' thoughts. The smaller skeleton blinked open an eye socket, looking at the pile. "huh?"

  
  
"FATHER MENTIONED NAMES." 2P poked out his skull, which was all fuzzed up from the static of the blankets. "SHOULDN'T WE GET SOME? WE CAN'T JUST BE CALLED 1S AND 2P AT SCHOOL, RIGHT?"

  
  
1S leaned against the wooden bed board, tapping his skull in thought. His brother was right, they couldn't be called 1S and 2P at school. They needed names - real names. "welllllll, you're better at naming things than me." 1S admitted. "what do you think?"

  
  
2P slid out of the pile of the blankets, summoning his orange tongue and sticking it out in thought, tapping the bed. "HOW ABOUTTTT…" He started, tapping his skull. "HOW ABOUT… SANS AND PAPYRUS?"

  
  
1S smiled. "i like those names." He responded. "see? i said you were great at naming stuff."

  
  
Papyrus laughed. "WELL, THE 'GREAT PAPYRUS' SOUNDS MUCH BETTER THAN THE 'GREAT 2P', DON'T YOU THINK, BROTHER?"

  
  
Sans snorted. He'd have to get used to these new names. "definitely." He smiled reassuringly. "the great 2p sounds like someone's greatly to pee. the great papyrus is a one hundred percent improvement!"

  
Papyrus laughed, his eye sockets brightening in joy. Sans relaxed. He… he never heard his brother laugh before. It was the greatest thing he had ever heard.

  
  
"BROTHER? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus asked. Sans looked up at him, flashing him a genuine smile.

  
  
"yeah." He responded, wrapping his arm around his taller brother. "better than alright."

  
  
"THAT'S GREAT!" Papyrus boomed happily, wrapping both arms around Sans tightly. "WE'LL ALWAYS BE TOGETHER, RIGHT SANS? JUST LIKE IN THE LABS, WE'LL NEVER BE APART, RIGHT?"

  
  
"definitely." Sans nodded.

  
  
"PROMISE?"

"i promise."

"GOOD!" Papyrus exclaimed. 

  
**"Boys, it's time for your lessons."** Fellgaster's voice boomed from downstairs, causing both brothers to flinch.

  
  
"ALRIGHT! COME ON BROTHER!" Papyrus smiled, leaping off the bed and dragging his brother off with him.

  
  
But despite it all…

  
  
There was still regret.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which FG gives friendly friend advice

Fellgaster took a sip out of his coffee mug, eyeing the two boys in front of him. Sans was on the edge of his chair, his bones rattling silently under his clothes. Papyrus also seemed extremely nervous, his eye sockets flaring a dark purple color. Fellgaster sighed, setting down his coffee mug and adjusting his mask. **"So,"** He started. **"You two made your own names."**

  
  
"Y-YES." Papyrus shuttered. "ARE THEY ALRIGHT, THOUGH? OR ARE THEY BAD NAMES?"

  
  
Fellgaster shook his head as Sans stared at both his brother and the doctor, a silent growl escaping his teeth, something Fellgaster thankfully didn't notice. **"The names are fine."** Fellgaster insisted. **"But you both should have told me first. I was going to enroll you in school, so I suppose this was the perfect moment."**

  
  
 _"enroll us in school?"_ Sans repeated, his eye sockets wide with shock. "really?"

  
  
 **"I did say I was going to, didn't I?"** Fellgaster responded, smiling from behind his mask as he signed a few papers Sans and Papyrus couldn't see. **"You know enough English by now."**

  
  
Sans was practically bouncing in his chair. Finally! "does sketch afterdeath go to school?" He asked.

  
 **"Yes."** Fellgaster replied. **"Don't call her Sketch Afterdeath. That will draw too much attention to yourselves. Just call her Sketch."**

  
  
"OH! MAYBE WE CAN MAKE FRIENDS, BROTHER!" Papyrus exclaimed joyfully, leaping off his chair and over to Sans. "WHO DO YOU THINK'LL GET MORE?"

  
  
"probably you."

"DON'T SAY THAT!!!"

  
  
 **"Friends are things that you should definitely have in school."** Fellgaster raised his hand, interrupting the arguing brothers. **"There are nice people, and there are bad people, just like in real life. Try to find friends in the good people, because you most certainly will be picked on the more alone you are."**

  
  
"is it really that bad?" Sans whispered to himself. _maybe this was a bad idea…_

  
  
"OH!! IT SOUNDS FUN!" Papyrus exclaimed. "LIKE A GAME ALMOST, RIGHT BROTHER? JUST LIKE HIS TESTS! WE HAVE TO DECIDE WHO'S NICE AND WHO'S NOT AND AVOID THE NOT NICE PEOPLE!"  
  
Fellgaster sighed, running his hand over his mask again. **"That's one way to put it."** He responded blankly. **"Just be careful of who you trust."**  
  
Sans blinked at Fellgaster, a sudden wave of exhaustion washing over him. The smaller skeleton yawned, scooting out of his chair and stumbling up the steps, staggering into he and his brother's bedroom. Sans yawned again, collapsing face first into his pillow. He bundled himself under his blankets and closed his eye sockets, drifting into sleep.   
  
Because in three days, he and Papyrus would start school for the first time in their lives.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Sans on the bus goes round and round, round and round, round and round

_today is finally the day._

  
  
Sans popped his eye sockets wide open, his permanent smile widening in excitement. _we're starting school today!_ He thought joyfully, kicking off his blankets as he practically threw himself off his bed, sliding on the carpet floor and shoving himself to his and Papyrus' dresser, grabbing the most decent pair of clothes he could find and threw them on - a light blue tank top that read, "sun's out, pun's out.", as well as dark blue shorts with some lighter shades of blue scattered around the bottom of it like bubbles. Sans grinned widely. He loved this shirt. The small skeleton grabbed his backpack that Fellgaster had bought him (dark blue with slightly darker swirls on it) and bolted down the stairs, almost tipping down them several times, finally reaching the bottom.

  
  
**"Sans, be careful."** Fellgaster commanded, his arms folded as he stared at the staircase from the couch. **"Did you brush your teeth?"**

  
  
"nope." Sans responded simply. "gonna do that after i eat."

  
  
**"Well, you'll have to eat at school then, because you're about to miss the bus. Papyrus has been waiting outside the door for you for nearly fifteen minutes."**

  
  
Sans' face broke in moments. _miss the bus? on our first day? miss the bus?_ Without a second thought, Sans grabbed the book he had been reading the past day ( _"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children."_ ), stuffed it in his backpack, and bolted out the door, nearly running into his brother.

  
  
"SANS!" Papyrus exclaimed, his red backpack fitting well with his orange striped shirt as he folded his arms angrily. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

  
  
"in the house." Sans replied simply.

"DOING WHAT?"

  
  
"sleepin'"

  
  
Papyrus' face hardened. "OH, I KNEW IT! YOU LAZY BONES, WE COULD HAVE MISSED THIS BUS ON OUR FIRST DAY BECAUSE OF YOU! I'VE BEEN WAITING ON THIS DARN PORCH FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES! THE BUS COULD HAVE ALREADY LEFT!"

  
  
"you know fg can drive us with his sons, right?" Sans asked.

  
  
"YES, BUT I WANT TO MAKE AN EPIC ENTRANCE! I WANT TO MAKE FRIENDS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND I CAN'T DO THAT IN A 1994 HONDA VAN!"

  
  
Sans snorted, his eye socket flowing green slightly as he leaned against the house. He and his brother stood in silence like that for a while until a loud noise boomed from down the road. Papyrus leapt up excitedly, his eye sockets fizzling such a bright green color, Sans was insisted he had become a huge blade of grass. Lights came from down the street as a bright yellow bus skidded to a stop in front of the brothers' house. Papyrus grinned wildly, gripping Sans' arm and pulling him towards the towering vehicle. Sans shuttered uncontrollably as the door to the side of the bus opened, revealing more kids than neither brother could count (no matter how much Papyrus tried) and a young looking spider monster, who looked stranger than she actually was.

  
  
"Oh, hello, dearies." She hummed. "Come in, come in. Are you new, yes? Ahuhuhu, how sweet! Come in, take a seat! None are permanent, just please don't switch seats during the ride! And be careful of my little spiders - don't worry, they won't bite unless you misbehave, ahuhuhu!"

  
  
Papyrus smiled, shaking one of the purple spider monster's hands before pulling Sans up onto the bus. All of the shouting and yelling was more than enough to give anyone a headache, but Sans didn't seem to be bothered by it. To both brothers dismay, all empty seats were filled by at least one student, so they weren't able to sit next to each other. Sans sighed, reluctantly letting go of Papyrus' hand as he glanced around, looking for somewhere to sit. His eye sockets drifted to the girl he had seen in the park a few days before, and he smiled widely, carefully avoiding the paper airplanes and dozens of legs kicking around in the isle. Finally, Sans reached Sketch's seat and skidded to a stop next to it.

  
  
"mind if i sit here?" He asked. Sketch looked up, her wide, purple eye sockets sparkling in shock.

  
  
"me?" She whispered, pointing to herself in confusion.

  
  
"yeah? why not, i got no problem with 'ya." Sans replied with a shrug.

  
  
"Dearie, please continue your conversation sitting down! I have to drive you all to school!" The spider monster in the driver's seat called. Sketch shifted over to the window and Sans sat down beside her, the bus quickly moving to the side before it started driving off the street and onto the road. Sans let his eye sockets drift around the inside of the bus. There were a lot of skeletons - more than anyone could count. There were a huge amount of humans and other monsters, of course, but the skeletons caught Sans' eye. He finally found Papyrus sitting not too far from him, chatting with a fish monster with red hair and being a bit taller than Sans.

  
  
"WHAT'S YOUR EYE PATCH FOR?" Papyrus asked over the loud talking of the other children.

  
  
"It's to look cool, silly!" The other monster replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Besides, what else have I gotta do to make the bullies shiver in fear at my form?"

  
  
Papyrus' eye sockets turned to stars, a wide smile flashing across his face. "WOWIE!! YOU'RE SO COOL AND AWESOME!"

  
  
Sans smiled faintly as Sketch rolled her eye sockets. "what?" Sans asked.

  
  
"that's my friend, undyne." Sketch smiled, pointing to the fish monster. "we've been best friends as long as i can remember. she's pretty much the person who protects all the kids who can't defend themselves against the bullies in the school."

  
  
"huh," Sans relaxed against the bus seat. "guess imma need her on my side then."

  
  
"why?" Sketch blinked towards Sans, gripping her backpack tightly.

  
"eh, i'm a one hp monster." Sans confessed without much hesitation. "easy for me to dust."

  
  
"probably not here." Sketch replied. "my healing magic is really strong, but i can get hurt really easily, my bones are weaker than they should be."

  
  
_i already knew that._ Sans thought, his spine stiffening slightly. _but i'm not gonna say nothin'._

  
  
"so what's your name?" Sketch asked.

  
  
"i'm sans, sans the skeleton, obviously," Sans smiled lazily, then pointed towards his brother, who was laughing with Undyne. "and that's my brother, papyrus." He held out his hand. _i know your name already._

  
  
Sketch smiled excitedly, weakly grabbing Sans' hand and shaking it. "i'm sketch. i hope you have no problem with me - of course."

  
  
Sans leaned his free arm around his bus seat, momentarily blinking at the flashing trees outside the window before looking back at Sketch. "like i said before, why would i have a problem with ya?"

  
  
Sketch sighed, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "y-you must be new here… not a lot of people like me."

  
  
Sans blinked in confusion. "why?"

  
  
Sketch opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the halting of the bus, as well as the bus driver's voice.

  
  
"We're here, dearies! Ahuhuhu!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which MCQ Geno says hello!   
> (MCQ and Pepper belong to Alaina)

Sans glared at the huge building from the window of the bus as the loud chattering got louder, and kids began to stand up and load off. Sketch nudged Sans' shoulder gently, signaling him that it was time to leave. After cautiously standing and, careful not to get pushed over or accidentally hurt by other kids, scrambling to get out of the bus in one piece, and immediately felt tight arms wrap around him.

  
  
"CAN YOU BELIEVE IT, SANS?" Papyrus exclaimed joyfully. "WE'RE FINALLY HERE! AFTER EVERYTHING WE WENT THROUGH, WE'RE HERE!"

  
  
"papyrus, you're _embarrassing us."_ Sans snarled, trying to wrestle himself out of his brother's arms. This was in no way how he wanted their first day of school to start off. After Papyrus finally let him go, and, trying to ignore the curious stares from the other students, Sans trudged onward into the school. Despite how beautiful and huge the inside was, Sans ignored it. He had to get to his locker. _act normal. don't let them suspect you._ He thought.

  
  
"SANS!" Sans flinched as he heard his brother call out to him. "WE HAVE TO GO TO THE PRINCIPAL AND GET SHOWN AROUND!"

  
  
"i can find my way around on my own, i'll be fine."

  
  
Papyrus folded his arms as he shouted from the entrance. "BUT WE NEED OUR SCHEDULES!"

  
  
"can you grab mine for me? thanks bro." Sans called back. He wanted to explore around before heading to his locker - maybe meet some more people. His brother's loud, booming voice was soon lost in the sea of excited screams from the other students and the slamming of lockers.

  
  
"Hey, new kid," A voice called softly from beside a locker, causing Sans to tilt his skull towards it. "Heard you talking to the Reaper Freak."

  
Sans blinked in confusion. "who?"

  
  
The kid stepped out, revealing themselves to be a skeleton - another girl, in fact. Small, blue freckles were scattered around her face, and just by looking at her, Sans already felt unease tugging at his soul.

  
  
"The name's Pepper." She said. "You look new."

  
  
Sans blinked curiously. "uh, yeah?"

  
  
"I think you should stay away from that kid." Pepper shrugged, her eye sockets glowing thoughtfully. "She's a bad egg - really dangerous, she is."

  
  
Dangerous? That certainly wasn't what Sketch seemed to be, quite the opposite, actually. "but how is she dangerous if she can't even summon attacks?" He questioned.

  
  
"Isn't it obvious?" Pepper took a step towards Sans, causing the other skeleton's spine to shiver with unease. "She's a good actor, ya know." Pepper tapped her elbow with her hand, staring up at the ceiling for a few moments before looking back at Sans again. "Here's the point. Her dad's a murderer, so she clearly is, too."

  
  
Sans blinked in shock. This certainly was not adding up. Even is Sans had just met Sketch, she was kind, shy, and compassionate - empathetic and sympathetic. Not a murderer. Besides, they were only kids, right? Sans stepped backwards slightly, glancing behind him. "uhhh, sorry." He said, his voice quivering at the slightest. "i think that's my bro, gotta go," He glanced at Pepper, his spine stiffening when he saw her angered expression. "so, uhhh, bye." And with that, Sans pelted away from the girl. He heard her shout something at him, but he couldn't hear what it was.

  
  
"SANS!" Sans relaxed at hearing his brother call him, rushing towards the tall familiar figure of his brother. Papyrus smiled towards him, too pieces of paper flicking in his hand. "THERE YOU ARE, YOU LAZY BONES!"

  
  
Sans smiled lazily, relaxing against one of the open lockers before he felt the door slam closed, almost causing him to fall head-first into the wall.

  
  
"Watch where you're standing, idiot!" A human kid snapped, adjusting their stuff in their arms and storming off towards their friends. Sans sighed, turning back to Papyrus, who was chatting with the fish monster again.

  
  
"THAT'S MY BROTHER, SANS!" Papyrus exclaimed joyfully. "HE'S VERY LAZY, BUT REALLY NICE TOO!"

  
  
Undyne chuckled, opening her mouth to say something to the smaller skeleton. Before she did, Sans caught sight of his schedule within his taller brother's hand. Without thinking, Sans snatched it, and turned to bolt off. "see you later, pap." He blurted out, rushing away from Papyrus and Undyne.

  
  
"SORRY, HE CAN BE SHY." He heard Papyrus apologize. He didn't try to listen to the other monster's response. Taking a quick glance at his schedule, he saw his locker wasn't too far away. _67b._ Sans thought. _67b. 67b. right here._ Skidding to a stop by the locker, Sans looked at his schedule again for the combination. _27-18-01._ Sans sighed, staring at the lock on his locker. He had to spin the combo, something he had perfected at when Fellgaster showed him how. Sans let his bookbag slump off his shoulder and entered the combination. _27-18-01._ The lock made a little click as the locker tilted open. Sans sighed with relief, looking at the interior. It was bare - lime green like the outside. A small shelf was at the top, and there were three hangers right under it to hang up coats and backpacks. Sans blinked. He guessed the first think Papyrus was going to do to his locker was decorate it to his best ability.

  
  
"Hi."

  
  
Sans blinked. There was a kid. Staring. Right at him. A tall kid, too. Not as tall as Papyrus, but tall. Sans stood up quickly. The kid had one eye socket covered in what looked like glitches, and a red scarf around his neck. "Are you new here?" He asked.

  
  
"yeah." Sans blurted nervously.

  
  
"Wow! Our lockers are right next to each other!" The kid smiled. "I'm Geno by the way!"

  
  
Sans blinked. Finally, another nice kid. "i'm sans." He replied. "i have a brother named papyrus, i don't know where his locker is, though."

  
  
"Really?" Geno yelped. "I have two brothers, Fresh and Error! Fresh's locker is by the lunchroom, but Error's is on the second floor."

  
  
"second floor?" Sans echoed, his voice shivering. "how many floors are there?"

  
  
"There's three floors." Geno responded. "It looks big at first, but don't worry, it's not as huge once you get used to it."

  
  
Sans went back down to his knees and unpacked his bookbag, unloading his binder, books, and lunch box as Geno opened his locker. "Do you want any help getting around?" Geno asked, grabbing his binder and a book called, _"Seabiscuit."_

  
  
"if it's no trouble." Sans replied. He couldn't help but keep staring at the book.

  
  
"Of course it's not!" Geno smiled reassuringly. "What's your first period?"

  
  
Sans took out his schedule again. _period 1: math. c209. period 2: history. b103. period 3: gym. a120. period 4: magic lessons. b122. period 5: lunch. cafeteria. period 6: english. d102. period 7: science. d316._

  
  
"Oh, so you're on the second floor for first period." Geno said. "Follow me - I'll show you!" He smiled, gently taking Sans' hand and pulling him out of the hallway. "Come on!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which owl teacher man probably never returns again

Sans plopped himself down in a seat by the back of the classroom Geno showed him too, glancing around as kids poured in through the door. It was a proper room - nothing like in the lab he had been raised in. The walls were bricked and pale orange with a bit of a darker pale color spotted around the walls like confetti, while the floors were tiled and lime green. Math posters were scattered around the room. Most were interesting - Sans knew he would need most of them - while others didn't catch his eye. Sans gazed back towards the front of the class. He recognized Sketch and Undyne walking through the door, along with another boy he didn't recognize. The boy in question looked a bit like Sans, but wearing neons and sunglasses with a multicolored word on it, but Sans couldn't see it. Before he could try to understand their conversation, the boy left the classroom as both Undyne and Sketch and took their seats. Sans gave a relaxed smile as he saw his brother storm into the classroom excitedly.

  
  
"BROTHER!" Papyrus exclaimed, rushing past the other students and taking a seat beside Sans. "THERE YOU ARE! WHY DID YOU RUN OFF? I WAS WORRIED!"

  
  
Sans shrugged with a lazy smile. "don't worry, bro, i'm fine. just had an older kid show me to class."

  
  
"WELL, THAT'S GOOD!" Papyrus smiled joyfully. "EVEN IF I COULD HAVE SHOWN YOU AROUND MYSELF - I'M JUST THAT GREAT, RIGHT, BROTHER?"

  
  
Sans leaned his elbow on the desk. "yep, you sure are."

  
  
"I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE ACTUALLY HERE THOUGH!" Papyrus grinned. "AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH, WE'RE FREE! WE CAN BE OURSELVES!"

  
  
Sans hastily pressed his hand against his brother's jaw, a slight _clink!_ coming from where he slapped his unplated hand. "pap, shush." He hissed. "remember? doc said we can't tell anyone. we're like other kids who have been what other kids have been through, not experimented in a lab or anything else." He whispered. "so just keep quiet - we have to act like everyone else and not arise suspicion."

  
  
"BUT WHAT IF THEY SEE THE PLATES?" Papyrus whispered, his eye sockets glowing a slight dark purple color. "OTHER KIDS DON'T HAVE PLATES, DO THEY?"

  
  
"they won't see the plates." Sans promised, carefully removing his hand from Papyrus' jaw. "we can hide them fine with our sleeves."

  
  
"BUT WHAT ABOUT SUMMER AND SPRING?" Papyrus huffed worriedly. "WE'LL HAVE SHORT SLEEVES BY THEN!"

  
  
"let's not worry about that now." Sans smiled lazily. "we still have the rest of january and another two whole months until spring, we'll be fine till then."

  
  
Papyrus sighed. "OKAY." He whispered, sinking into his chair. "OKAY…"

  
  
As the rest of the kids took their seats, a small, thin owl monster with glasses about the size of a walnut walked into the classroom and over to the front of the room, three books in his one wing, as well as many math worksheets. The monster scanned the class before the books and papers disappeared from his wing and reappeared on his very disorganized desk. Papyrus gave a silent huff of disapproval as the class' talking died down.

  
  
"Good morning, class." The monster coughed, pacing around the front of the classroom as if he were a college professor giving a lecture. "As you may or may not know, we have two new students today." He hummed. "Sadly, however, we will not have enough time for our lesson today if we introduce them now, but you may all meet them when the bell rings to leave." Sans sighed thankfully. He didn't want to be in front of so many kids. "Now, who remembers what we learned last week?"

  
  
A tiny human with blond hair raised his hand immediately.

  
  
"Yes, Zack?" The teacher hummed respectfully.

  
  
"Dividing and multiplying." The blond haired human answered.

  
  
"Yes, that is what we covered on Friday." The teacher hummed again. Sans leaned slightly to the side, reading the name, _"Mister Hardwald,"_ written on it. _that must be his name._ Sans thought, lazily leaning against his chair and relaxing his spine. _i wonder if teachers have first names._ Papyrus tapped his brother's shoulder, tipping his skull slightly towards the monster in the front of the classroom. Sans watched students come up towards Mr. Hardwald in a huge line, taking two or three papers. "You can work in a group of three at the most if you want." He hummed.

  
  
"can you get one for me, bro?" Sans asked. "i don't want to be in a huge crowd."

  
  
Papyrus huffed, stomping his foot angrily on the ground as he slid out of his chair. "OH, YOU! YOU ARE SO LAZY! I'M WORKING WITH SOMEONE ELSE, WHO IS AT LEAST A LITTLE LESS LAZY THAN YOU, BROTHER!" He shouted, huffing once more before turning away from his brother and storming off towards the line. Sans sighed, using his magic to teleport a paper to his desk. "i can get this without any help anyway." He insisted, taking a pencil out of his pocket. Without even reading the circled questions, Sans finished them within seconds, not even realizing he had moved his hand to finish the entire page, even the questions Mr. Hardwald didn't circle. Sans stared in awe for a few seconds before picking his head up and scanning the room for his brother. He found him a few seats away, working with a small, yellow, armless dinosaur monster, obviously struggling with the questions. Sans wanted to help, but he knew Papyrus would get upset for his smaller brother not believing in him, so he ultimately decided not to. what do i do now? He wondered. He really liked math, now that he noticed. Gaster always said he was good at math and science. Maybe he was better than the entire class already? Maybe he was better than his entire grade? Sans almost fell out of his chair at the thought. He couldn't be that good at math, could he?

  
  
"Hello there."

  
  
Sans turned his head towards the voice from the front of the classroom. Mr. Hardwald was standing right in front of Sans' desk, a kind smile formed under his beak. "Do you need any help with your problems?" He asked.

  
  
Sans stayed silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "i finished all of them." He said slowly.

  
  
"Hoo, did you now?" Mr. Hardwald hummed, seeming very pleased. "Show me, I'll take the problems to my desk. While I look at them, you have free time." He said, taking Sans' paper with his wing, and, as he said he would, walked over to his heavily disorganized desk and began looking through the paper. Sans almost lept out of his seat. He didn't know why he felt so excited, but he was. _he's looking at my paper._ He thought joyfully. _how good am i? come on, finish up already, i want to know!_

  
  
After a few minutes of waiting immediately for Mr. Hardwald to return to his desk, the owl monster finally stood, staring in awe at the paper, and walked back to Sans' desk, and slowly handed him back the paper, which had a huge, red stamped _100! Great Job!_ on the top.

  
  
"You got every single one of the questions correct." He hummed shakily.

  
  
"i did?" Sans beamed, his permanent smile growing wider with joy.

  
  
Mr. Hardwald nodded shakily, fiddling with the feathers on his wings, muttering to himself. _is this a bad thing?_ Sans thought, his heart dropping at an alarming rate. _is it bad that i'm so smart?_

  
  
"I'm going to take you to the principal." Mr. Hardwald spoke, carefully taking back the paper and helping Sans out of his seat. "I think you need to go up a grade. How quickly did you answer the questions?"

  
  
"uhh…" Sans tapped his skull for a few seconds with his unplated hand. "a few seconds?"

Mr. Hardwald gasped, his eyes wide under his tiny glasses. Sans blinked in confusion. "what?"

  
  
"Come along." He muttered, dragging Sans out of the classroom. "You're not in trouble, just come along."

Sans felt as if he was walking in the hallways for the equivalent of an eternity.

  
  
He heard his shoes scrunching onto the tiled floor with every footstep, alongside Mr. Hardwald's pale brown boots. No words were exchanged between either of them, and it gave Sans a bad feeling. Was he in trouble? Mr. Hardwald said he wasn't. Or was he just saying that to reassure him? Sans shuttered uncomfortably as a huge door came into sight, a label on the top, reading, _"Principal's Office."_

  
  
"We're here." Mr. Hardwald hummed, his nervous demeanor seemingly gone now. Sans nodded slowly as the owl monster held open the door and let Sans step inside first, then stepped in himself.

  
  
The office was nothing like Sans feared it would. The walls and floors were bright and vibrant, almost like Mr. Hardwald's classroom. Posters were hung all over the room of teachers and students together. The desk was much more organized, but messy nonetheless. A huge stack of yearbooks from over the years were on one side, while paperwork was scattered all over the rest of the desk. And best of all, he didn't see any humans turning the chair around and petting a black cat. Sans felt himself relax. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad after all?

  
  
He felt waiting in the office took longer than the actual walk there. The only noise was the sound of the clock on the side of the wall ticking. Why did he have to be here? Couldn't he go back with his brother? Sans was just about to ask when he realized Mr. Hardwald had been on the phone with someone.

  
  
"Should we really get the mayor involved? He's just a boy…"

  
  
Sans shifted nervously. The mayor? Fellgaster had only mentioned him once or twice. Not a name, or what a mayor even was, just that this mayor couldn't know where he or Papyrus were raised, and that a mayor was someone with more authority than Gaster ever had.

  
  
"I am so sorry I forgot you were out with your wife today sir," Mr. Hardwald squeaked. "Up a grade? Are you sure? Should his brother go up with him?"

  
  
Sans quivered. He didn't want this! He didn't want to go up a grade, not without Papyrus! Was he really this smart?

  
  
"Alright - yes, I'll ask the main office for the new schedule you'll email them." The owl monster hooed, tapping his wing on the desk nervously. "Then we'll move on from there?"

  
Sans felt everything crash down on him. Up a grade? What about Papyrus?

  
  
He didn't notice the monster beside him standing up, resting his wing on the distraught skeleton's shoulder, flashing him a soft smile.

  
  
"Come on, I'll take you to your new class. They'll give you your new schedule there."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I trust you," says Papyrus
> 
> Later: "I don't trust you."

"YOU'RE _MOVING WHAT?"_

  
  
"sorry bro, the school's makin' me, i have no choice." Sans sighed, his eye socket glowing a slight yellow color as he grabbed a foam plate from the table beside him. He felt so terrible. He didn't want to move up a grade, especially if Papyrus wouldn't be going with him.

  
  
"You know what, this school's so dumb!" Undyne squeaked from behind them, snatching her own foam plate and grabbing a warm hotdog from its respective area. "They find a kid that's smarter than average, they move you up a grade, no questions asked! It's happened before most of us were here, no surprise it's happened again!"

  
  
"this has happened before?" Sans asked, quickly placing a hotdog of his own on the foam plate before redirecting his attention to his brother's newfound friend. thank god, i'm not the first.

  
  
"Yeah. To my adoptive brother, actually. My best friend, too." Undyne replied, grabbing a small carton of chocolate milk before leading the two skeletons to a lunch table. "My brother's name is Asriel. You might meet him someday. He's really cool!"

  
  
"COOLER THAN YOU?" Papyrus asked, sitting down on one of the hard, cold seats.

  
  
"Trust me, you'll know when you meet him." Undyne chuckled, slamming her foam plate and chocolate milk carton on the table and sat beside Papyrus. "He's in the high school across the street."

  
  
"WHY DID THEY MOVE HIM? WAS HE REALLY SMART LIKE MY BROTHER?" Papyrus murmured, glancing about the huge room filled with kids.

  
  
"Pretty much." Undyne replied, twirling her red hair with her finger.

  
  
Sans watched the conversation silently. Why couldn't Papyrus be moved too? His puzzles were often tricky.. well, tricky for someone that wasn't Sans. Once or twice, Gaster had been stuck on a puzzle Papyrus had made himself. Wasn't that enough to get his taller brother moved up a grade as well?

  
  
"Segregation in this school is simple." Undyne huffed. "If you're smart, you get moved up a grade. If you're cool, everyone looks up to you. If you're normal, you'll have friends, but not enough to be considered popular. If you're different… that's another story. Long story short, don't be picked out as different, then nobody will like you here."

  
  
"WHY?" Papyrus asked, poking at his food with his finger curiously. Without skipping a beat, Sans knew what his brother was thinking about, since he was wondering the same thing. _why do they feed us so differently here?_

  
  
"Because people are jerks, that's why." Undyne replied, her voice sharp. "Just, either stay normal or be popular, then the school won't bother with you."

  
  
Sans couldn't force himself to pay attention to their conversation anymore. The small skeleton plopped himself on the seat beside his brother and stared at his foam plate of food, but he couldn't bring himself to eat, either. Is this what he had escaped for - to be moved away from his brother? Is this what he had _killed_ his creator for? _i'm just overreacting._ He thought to himself. _nothing could be worse than being back with him. it'll get better, it has to._

  
  
Slowly, Sans felt himself get thrusted back into reality. He hadn't realized he was poking his ketchup-drowned hotdog while swirling in his thoughts. Carefully flicking the ketchup off of his hand, he glanced up towards Papyrus and Undyne, who had changed the subject to the various clubs in the school, several of which interested Sans, but he felt no bother in interrupting them.

  
  
"By the way, where are you two from again? The principal told us you were from Australia, but you don't have that kind of accent. And what's with the fonts? I've never seen anybody with a different font before, except for that doctor."

  
  
Sans felt himself stiffen up, attempting to say something, but nothing came out.

  
  
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT PLACE IS," Papyrus uttered. "WE'RE F-" Without a second thought, Sans slammed his hand against Papyrus' jaw as he had done before.

  
  
"we never knew the place we were born, we were never told." He blurted. "we don't like talking about it."

  
  
"Oh," Undyne replied swiftly, her huge, yellow eyes seeming grief-stricken. "Sorry, I didn't realize." Without missing a beat, Undyne picked up her food and slipped away to another table. Papyrus' eye sockets glowed a soft purple color in defeat.

  
  
"YOU CHASED HER OFF, SANS!" Papyrus snapped. "I WAS FINALLY MAKING A FRIEND, AND YOU SCARED HER AWAY!"

  
  
"hey, i didn't mean to," Sans replied, his right eye socket glowing a soft pink. "remember what fg said - we can't tell anyone about where we're from and what we've been through. i dunno why, but we just have'ta."

  
  
Papyrus sighed in defeat, taking a sip of his chocolate milk as he poked his hot dog. "I DON'T REALLY LIKE KEEPING SECRETS." He murmured after he drained the small carton of its contents.

  
  
"i know," Sans whispered. He knew Papyrus remembered when Gaster had 'demonstrated' what would happen if they decided to use blue magic on him. Sans, at the time, realized that Gaster had listened in on them promising not to tell him about their new discovery. "i know you don't."

  
  
"I JUST DON'T WANT ANYONE TO GET HURT."

  
  
"nobody'll get hurt." Sans insisted, reaching his hand to pat his brother's shoulder, his eye socket glowing a soft orange. "it's just a silly secret, it won't hurt anybody." _either way,_ He thought. _don't want anyone pitying over us. what's done is done, it's happened, and we can't change nothin' about it… right?_

  
  
Papyrus gave his brother a soft smile. "OKAY," He murmured, bringing his fingers up to his jawline and exhaling. "I TRUST YOU."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the bros go, "Uh oh, spaghettio."

"Papyyyyyrrrruuuussss."

  
  
Papyrus blinked his eyes open, glancing around the classroom with confused eyes. It was brighter than it was before. _DID I…?_ Looking to his side, he saw Undyne, watching him with a goofy grin. "Papyrus, did you doze off during the movie?" She asked, holding back a giggle.

  
  
"NO!" Papyrus insisted, his skull bolting up from the table where it rested. He whimpered guiltily. "...MAYBE?"

  
  
Undyne shrugged, grabbing her backpack and tossing it over her one shoulder. "Eh, it's nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone falls asleep in class once and awhile," She reassured. "School's over, by the way. Are you taking the bus again, orrrr…?"

  
  
Papyrus glanced around again, his eye sockets glowing a soft blue-gray color, "ALREADY?" He asked, "BUT IT JUST STARTED A FEW HOURS AGO."

  
  
Undyne chuckled softly. "Well, yeah, school doesn't last all day, you goof," She replied with a giggle, watching Papyrus stumble out of his seat, rushing out of the hallway to his locker, and she followed with a suspicious stance, "Soooo… are you taking the bus or nah?"

  
  
"IF MY BROTHER IS, I PROBABLY WILL," Papyrus answered simply, letting out a soft hmph as he slumped his backpack over his shoulders, grabbing onto them with his non-plated hand.

  
  
"You guys are pretty close." Undyne inquired as Papyrus slammed his locker door shut. "I wish I was that close with Azzy."

  
  
"YOU GUYS AREN'T CLOSE?" Papyrus gasped, walking down the hallway to the entrance of the school, "BUT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW COOL HE WAS!"

  
  
"I mean, we _are_ close," Undyne corrected, following beside Papyrus curiously. "But not as close as you guys. Are you two twins or something? Who's older?"

  
  
"I.. I DON'T KNOW WHO'S OLDER," Papyrus sighed, "WE'RE KIND OF CLUELESS ON THAT PART." At least he wasn't lying.

  
  
"You're probably twins then." Undyne shrugged. "I heard twins have a kind of twin power or something like that. Do you guys have any twin powers?"

  
  
"UHH…." Papyrus trailed off. "WE CAN SHARE DREAMS."

  
  
"Really?" The little fish monster blinked in surprise. "That's pretty cool! What's it like?"

  
  
"I GUESS THE SAME AS NORMAL DREAMING, BUT WE JUST SHARE IT," Papyrus replied with a simple shrug. "SOMETIMES WE CAN CONTROL THE DREAMS, TOO."

  
  
"Oh yeah, that's pretty cool." Undyne murmured with a sly smile. "Soooo… what's Australia like?"

  
  
Papyrus blinked, anxiety climbing up his spine as they neared the open doors. "UHHH… I DON'T REMEMBER VERY WELL." He answered quietly. "WE NEVER REALLY WENT OUTSIDE, WE WEREN'T ALLOWED." _I MEAN, I'M NOT REALLY LYING, RIGHT?_ He told himself anxiously. _WE NEVER DID GO OUTSIDE UNTIL FATHER SHOWED US AROUND._

  
  
"Man, that sucks," replied Undyne.

  
  
"REALLY?" Papyrus glanced at Undyne with surprised eyes. _I APPRECIATE THAT SHE CARES, BUT…_ His mind trailed off. _I DON'T REALLY WANT HER FUSSING OVER ME…_

  
  
"Uh, yeah!" Undyne squeaked, leading Papyrus to their bus as the skeleton followed behind her. "I mean, it's not a big thing, but I can't imagine what it'd be like to not be allowed to hang out outside!" She huffed, plopping down in one of the bus seats. "I mean, have you ever seen snow before?" Papyrus shook his head in reply, sitting beside Undyne. "Man, next time it snows, you bet your butt I'm showing you what it's like."

  
  
Papyrus' eyes lit up, glowing a soft green with excitement. "REALLY?"

  
  
"Of course, dude!" Undyne huffed, relaxing against the seat with a confident smile. "I mean, snow is probably the best thing ever. I can't believe you never saw it."

  
  
"CAN MY BROTHER COME, TOO?" Papyrus asked, practically bouncing in his seat.

  
Undyne gave him an unsure glare before grunting softly. "Sure. I don't mind, I mean, neither of you have seen snow for real, right?"

  
  
"WELL," Papyrus trailed off for a moment. "WE SAW PICTURES IN A BOOK THAT FATHER SHOWED US, BUT WE'VE NEVER REALLY SEEN IT ELSEWHERE…"

  
  
Undyne fiddled with her eyepatch for a moment before glancing around. "Still pretty crummy that the school separated you and your brother. It probably won't come into effect until later, though."

  
  
Papyrus blinked with curiosity. "REALLY?" he asked.

  
  
"I mean, yeah, it doesn't happen instantly." Undyne replied simply, giving Papyrus a concerned look. "...Have you ever been to school before?"

  
  
Papyrus tilted his skull towards her. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

  
  
"I mean… I've never really seen someone so excited to go to school." Undyne answered. "I just thought it was because you were somewhere new or you were just excited to start or something like that.. but... " She trailed off, blinking for a moment before continuing as the bus shifted and began to leave the school. "You don't really know how… things work around here.. do you?"

  
  
Papyrus' soul thumped wildly in his ribcage as he glanced down to his feet. "NO… NOT REALLY…" He sighed. "WE WEREN'T ALLOWED OUTSIDE SO NO SCHOOL FOR US - UNTIL NOW." _IT'S NOT A REAL LIE,_ Papyrus told himself, _IT'S JUST A DIFFERENT VERSION OF THE TRUTH!_

  
  
Undyne flashed him a sympathetic glare before relaxing into the bus seat once more. "Guess your parents kinda sucked, then," She said slowly, reaching her arm out towards the skeleton and placing it on his shoulder. "They won't bother you anymore."

  
  
Papyrus blinked at her reassuringly, the loud voices around them seemingly drowning out - at least from his perspective. The two friends stayed silent for the remainder of the ride until Undyne stood up as the bus slid to a halt. "This is my stop," she smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" Papyrus nodded as Undyne laughed softly, nudging the skeleton's shoulder playfully before leaping off the bus. Papyrus waved to her swiftly from the window before glancing around for his brother. After looking behind him, he saw Sans relaxing against the wall of the bus, glaring outside his window longingly. Saying nothing to his smaller brother, Papyrus glanced out of his own window, drifting off as the world seemed like a blur around them. _ALMOST LIKE IT ALWAYS WAS,_ he thought.

  
  
After slowing to a stop a few times, Papyrus noticed the bus finally stop right beside their home. The taller skeleton tilted his head behind him, tapping his brother to snap him out of his trance before leading the way off of the bus as Sans followed behind him. Wandering over to the steps of their home, Papyrus tugged on the doorknob, only to be hit with confusion when it refused to budge.

  
  
"what's the holdup?" asked Sans, his bony eyebrow twitching with interest.

  
  
"THE DOOR'S LOCKED," replied Papyrus. "BUT I THOUGHT FATHER SAID HE'D BE BACK HOME BY NOW, RIGHT BROTHER?"

  
  
Sans blinked, giving a simple shrug. "let's not think too much into it. maybe he forgot to unlock it or somethin', we can just go 'round back."

  
  
Papyrus sighed, fidgeting his plated hands nervously. "DO WE HAVE TO?" He asked, "I HAVE A BAD FEELING."

  
  
Sans' permanent smile twitched with unease - Papyrus could feel it in his soul. "...i do, too," he admitted slowly before looking up to his brother with a reassuring smile, glowing his left eye socket a gentle light blue. "but hey, it'll be fine. it might just be because this is the first time we've gone back there without 'm," Papyrus nodded as his brother spoke, gripping each other's hands as they snuck around to the backyard, making it to the fence. With a bit of effort and convincing from Sans, Papyrus helped the smaller skeleton scale the fence with blue magic.

  
  
As both pairs of the brothers' feet landed onto the grass, Papyrus rushed over to the back door as Sans wandered around the yard. After he heaved the glass door to the side, papyrus heaved a sigh of relief as he glanced behind him to Sans, whose back was facing him. "SANS, THIS DOOR ISN'T LOCKED!" When Sans gave no reply, Papyrus shut the glass door, turning around to take a few steps towards his brother. "SANS?" He asked, his eye sockets shimmering with a blue-gray glow, worry edging in his voice, "WHAT'S WRONG?"

  
  
The smaller skeleton shifted, his skull turned towards the ground. "you need to look at this," he whispered, the sound Sans' bones rattling only making Papyrus' worry escalate further, "right now."

  
  
Papyrus blinked, his bony brow twitching with confusion as he wandered to Sans' side, but stopped in his tracks when he saw what had peeked his brother's interest.

  
  
Right there, in front of Sans' feet, lay a bed of dust, surrounded by a light gray coat, a dark brown tunic, and a familiar mask with cracks running down the sides and a creepy grin permanently imprinted onto it.

  
  
At that moment, the ground started to spin around Papyrus, his soul thumping in his rib cage. And without thinking any further, he knew that the doctor who had freed him and his brother from that hellish lab underground was dust in front of his eyes - dead and never returning.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There's nothing better than coming home and laying with your favorite brother in the world," says Papyrus before being rejected by said brother

And that was all Papyrus remembered - well, of that day, at least.

It had been almost seven years. He and Sans were fifteen now. Not much had changed… well, that was a lie. A lot had changed.

Solemnly lifting his head, Papyrus looked around his room. His room. Not his and Sans'. At least, not anymore. In the corner of the countless sports posters stuck to his soothing orange-painted walls and the soft gray carpeting was Papyrus' red racecar bed, and those seemed to be the only things that defined his room, other than the several cookbooks and puzzling books left on his bookshelf and several action figures left around the room.

At least his room  _ had _ interesting and cool things. The only thing Sans' room had was a gross  _ mess. _

The brothers used to sleep together in the same bed to share dreams, but not anymore. Papyrus missed sharing dreams with Sans. It was nice and soothing, and even when they didn't share dreams, when he woke up, it felt nice to wake up to his lazybones brother at his side before school. But all they did now was argue and fight - they could have a pleasant chat once or twice, but it was rare. 

Papyrus didn't like being mad at Sans. He didn't hate him. He just hated that Sans never talked to him anymore, and ignored him. When he didn't, he would act angry and would snap at him. Being left in his room with only his thoughts - it almost reminded him of.. back then. Back down in the labs, when he had to wait for his brother to come back from tests. All he had then was their little Fluffy Bunny and his thoughts. Fluffy Bunny was a great listener back then, it was sad they had to leave it behind. Now, it reminded him of when he and Sans had their first big fight, too. Sans refused to talk to him for days - maybe even  _ weeks _ \- until they finally made up.

Maybe if he just asked him what he could do to stop making him mad, like before, just maybe everything could go back to normal again?

_ I'M SICK OF WAITING FOR THINGS TO HAPPEN WHEN THEY CLEARLY WON'T, _ Papyrus thought, huffing as he heaved himself to his feet.  _ I'M TAKING THIS INTO MY OWN GREAT, WONDERFUL HANDS! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I CAN DO EVERYTHING! EVEN IF THAT INCLUDES GETTING MY BROTHER TO STOP HATING ME BECAUSE HE SPENDS AN UNHEALTHY AMOUNT OF TIME WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND. _ Turning around, Papyrus burst open his bedroom door, trotting across the hall to his brother's room. The familiar sight of the fire-like lights blooming from underneath Sans' door made Papyrus' soul flutter with hope as he knocked on it. "BROTHER?" He called. He knew Sans was in there. If he was going to try and make him think that he wasn't there, it wasn't going to work. "CAN YOU COME OUT? I WANT TO TALK."

"i'd rather not," came the familiar, reassuring voice of his brother from behind the door. Well, it used to be reassuring. Now it was just cold and unwelcoming. "now go away."

Pushy, of course. That's how Sans acted now - pushy, with his ungraceful 'leave me be's and 'i'm fine's. At least Papyrus wasn't pushy. At least Papyrus would talk with people when he wanted help. At least Papyrus wasn't locked up in his stupid room all day except when he was out with his stupid girlfriend or out at stupid school. At least Papyrus would  _ let his brother in his stupid room. _ "I JUST WANT TO TALK," Papyrus repeated, his voice tightening slightly with a sternness that he didn't usually have.

"i said  _ go away _ ." His brother's voice was colder now. It was almost scary. Terrifying, even. Papyrus didn't like it. Why would he? He missed the reassuring brother who would torture him with jokes and puns and would always tell him how awesome and cool he was no matter what. He couldn't help but feel  _ angry. _ After all this time - after everything they went through -  _ together _ \- this is how he's treated? Just thrown to the ground - metaphorically, of course - like he was no better than dirt? Well, he was far better than dirt! He was the Great Papyrus, and he didn't  _ deserve _ this treatment. And he wouldn't be put through it any longer! 

Angrily, Papyrus' face scrunched up, trying to stop the immediate angry tears from spilling from his eye sockets. " _ FINE _ !" He shouted, pointing his gloved hand at the door. "BE THAT WAY! IT'S NOT LIKE ALL I EVER GAVE YOU IS KINDNESS AND LOVE AND APPRECIATION! IF YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP TREATING ME LIKE GARBAGE, I WON'T DEAL WITH IT! SO WHILE YOU KEEP SULKING IN YOUR ROOM LIKE A  _ BABYBONES _ ,  _ I'LL _ BE PROVING TO  _ YOU _ AND  _ EVERYONE _ ELSE THAT _ I. AM.  _ THE _ GREAT PAPYRUS!  _ AND THAT  _ I  _ WILL BE DOING GREAT THINGS WHILE  _ YOU _ WORK ON A CLUMSY ROBOT!" Without a second thought, Papyrus whirled away and stormed down the steps, fiddling with his red scarf before pushing open the front door. He was hardly paying attention to anything other than the sidewalk and his feet when he noticed a familiar group standing around the local bar and diner he and his family had gone to once or twice.

Oh, yes, that was something else that changed.

A few of his friends were there - Undyne, Monster Kid, Error, and Fresh, but one of his family members was there, too.

Grapefruit wasn't liked by a lot of people. Her dark and familiar form scared a lot of monsters and humans alike, as she looked a lot like an alternate version of his brother he had heard about in school once or twice - probably because she was his daughter. For that reason, many people tried to avoid her. Even Sans seemed to dislike her. But a few people did like her, too. Papyrus, of course, was one of those people. He had always wanted a sister, and now he finally had the chance to be a cool and amazing big brother, even if Grapefruit wasn't that young.

The dark skeleton noticed him, waving one of her tentacles towards him. "Hey, Papyrus," She greeted. "Haven't seen you all weekend."

"YEAH, I KNOW." Papyrus groaned, hastily wiping the tears from his face and fixing his gloves before joining his friends at their outdoor table. "THAT'S MY FAULT, SORRY."

"Yo, don't be sorry about it!" Monster Kid insisted, patting his tail on Papyrus' shoulder. "You don't have to be out  _ all _ the time, dude. We're fifteen! College is in the next few years!"

"I'm sixteen, doofus," uttered Error softly. "And Grapefruit is only twelve."

"Remember, if you need any help with that kind of stuff, Asriel's in college, so feel free to ask the Advice Goat." Undyne laughed. 'Advice Goat' was the nickname most of the school had been giving Undyne's brother, as he always seemed to have some kind of college or homework advice that he gave Undyne and her friends, which was then given to the rest of the school.

"College though… I can't believe how close we are. Seems like just yesterday I was five years old and snuck up on ma during a thunderstorm!" Fresh laughed. Papyrus remembered that just a year after he and Sans came to the surface, Fresh had randomly dropped his 80s 'lingo', but of course he still slipped up once or twice. 

"Oh yeah, how's life with Sketch's uncle?" Grapefruit asked. "When did you three move out again?"

"A year too late, girl," Undyne teased.

"It's been fine," Error grumbled, fiddling with a napkin. "Neon's been fine."

"But Geno brah's been workin' harder on his guitar skills. Heard he's been giving Sans some lessons, yeah?" asked Fresh, turning towards Grapefruit and Papyrus.

Papyrus felt a heavy weight on his SOUL. He was about to force himself to speak when Grapefruit fortunately covered for him. "Yeah, he's been working hard on it. Dad's been giving him guitar and Spanish lessons, too."

Grapefruit's father, Mal, and his girlfriend, Rose, had adopted Papyrus and Sans five years after Fellgaster's demise. Before that, the brothers were actually fostered by a skeleton couple and their twins - well, they were just the skeleton couple with two adopted human children for a while until six years ago when they had them.

"I heard Geno has a concert thing coming up too, right?" Monster Kid peeped up.

"Yeah, next week." replied Error with a shrug.

"Tell you all what, since we're done with lunch, we can all head over to my place," Undyne proposed, slamming her hands on the table, making Papyrus jump a bit. "Alphys and Azzy are there, but dad's out with friends."

"Will he be fine with us coming?" asked Grapefruit, her four tentacles furling and unfurling.

Undyne shrugged. "He's been fine with it before, he should be fine with it now, too. Besides, Azzy is an adult, so we won't get into much trouble."

Error and Fresh looked at each other momentarily before the older skeleton sighed. "I guess we can go. It's Saturday, so we're allowed to be out for a while."

"Yo, I can go, too! Carrot and Russ said they didn't mind me going out this weekend," Monster Kid exclaimed, his tail swishing joyfully. The rest of the group eyed Papyrus and Grapefruit for confirmation, to which Grapefruit then began glaring at  _ him.  _ Oh jeez, it felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. It was a simple choice! 

  
Then, with a hefty sign, Papyrus said, "I  _ GUESS _ WE CAN GO FOR A LITTLE WHILE."


	11. Christmas Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to post this as I worked on it during the Christmas of 2019, and wanted to put it here so you guys have something new while I work on chapter 11/13!
> 
> So...  
> *insert Carol of the Bells here*
> 
> Also  
> SANSY BOY GOES FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN

"OH, COME ON, MRS MUFFET! ONE MORE STORY, PLEEEEEEASE?" 

Around a softly lit fireplace in the warmth of a beautiful, small home, Sans and Papyrus sat, watching Muffet, Sans' best friend, Cloud's, adopted grandmother, who sat on a comfortable chair in front of them. Snow pounded against the windows, the wind blazing and screeching outside. Muffet had been telling the boys stories about the war of humans and monsters, as well as stories about the various holidays - especially Christmas, for tonight was Christmas Eve, and it was the first one the brothers had ever experienced on the surface. All of those endless days, weeks, months, and years in that lab had finally shown them everything they had missed for a childhood - Christmas, Easter, New Years, Birthdays… now, they finally had the chance to experience it all.

"You two should be asleep by now." She hummed, placing the book she had finished reading them to the side. "It's late - if you stay up any longer, you won't be awake enough to open presents in the morning."

"pleaseee, ma'am, just one more." Sans pleaded. He was never the type to do something like this - begging for a story - but these tales interested him and his brother. It wouldn't do harm to stay awake for a little longer, would it?

"Alright, alright, dearies." Muffet chuckled. "But only one more. After that, you must promise to go to bed right after, okay?"

"YES MA'AM!" Papyrus huffed, folding his arms excitedly. Sans nodded in agreement, his left eye socket flashing a bright green color.

Muffet giggled, resting her multiple hands on her lap before beginning her story.

"As long as anybody can remember, there has been a rumor that on this night - when the moon is full, and highest in the sky, and the world is resting - our ancestors will dance about the frozen lake."

"ancestors?" Sans echoed curiously. "tonight?"

"Yes," Muffet replied simply, twirling her purple hair with her finger.

"CAN WE GO?" Papyrus begged, bouncing quietly from where he sat on the floor. "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASEEEE?"

"We cannot." Muffet replied softly. "Monsters and humans much bigger, stronger,  _ and _ smarter than the both of you have tried many times to watch this dance, but none of them have ever been successful. Many have said that they were just chasing meer shadows."

"shadows?" Sans echoed once more. "what do you mean by 'shadows'?"

"That is not the important question, little one. The thing that many monsters and humans have been wondering since this legend appeared is, 'what makes our ancestors come to dance upon the lake,' - and on a night like this? When the snow bashes against the windows and could surely blow any spirit away?"

Papyrus tilted his head, confusion showing in his tiny eye-sockets. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"i don't get it." Sans added, shrugging before fiddling with his blue-striped pajama pants.

Suddenly, the brothers' heads bolted up at the sound of heavy feet slumping down the stairs.

"You tellin' that old story again, Muffet?" Carrot, the oldest adoptive son of Muffet, chuckled, leaning against the banister. His orange hoodie seemed to glow in the firelit room. "You told us the same one when me and my bro were babybones. They're just getting riled up over nothing."

"I think you're just jealous that you and your brother never got to see them, dearie." Muffet giggled, folding two of her arms.

"Come on, we only went twice, Muff'."

"And how many times did you go on your own?" Muffet challenged.

Carrot signed, looking defeated, his arm sliding off the banister. "Fifteen…" The brothers laughed as Carrot pointed to the spare bedroom upstairs. "Alright, that's enough, you two. It's late now, if you stay up any later, you'd pass out where you're sitting."

Sans and Papyrus sighed, glancing at each other before standing up and brushing past Carrot to head up the stairs. "Yes sir." They murmured. But once they were in the room and the door was closed, Sans seemed as energized as he ever had been before. "we have to go and see it for ourselves!" He squeaked, trying to keep his voice down.

"OUR ANCESTORS DANCING?" Papyrus asked with a low voice. "BUT DIDN'T MR CARROT AND MRS MUFFET SAY -"

"it doesn't _matter_ what they said!" Sans replied harshly, his smile seemingly becoming too wide to handle. "if we see our ancestors, maybe we can find out more about skeletons! _he_ never taught us too much about them, after all. maybe we can find out why he did what he did, isn't that what we've always wanted besides getting away?"

"BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SHADOW MRS MUFFET MENTIONED…?" Papyrus whispered, his eye sockets glowing a slight purple color.

"they just made that us to scare us, papy." Sans insisted, creeping over to the window beside their sleeping bags. "now are you coming, or not?"

Papyrus sighed, shifting next to his brother to help him heave the window open. "ALRIGHT, BUT ONLY BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU GETTING HURT!" He huffed, his smaller brother sliding out of the window, safely landing in a large pile of snow. Carefully, Papyrus followed suit, and both brothers set out in the snowstorm towards the large lake near the home. The freezing cold air breezed into their ribcages and through their eye-sockets. The snow shook them to - well - the bone. But the determination to push through the cold to see something that they weren't even sure  _ existed _ made them to keep going. One thing was for certain, they wanted - no -  _ needed  _ to see these ancestors. Soon, the brothers seemed to stop struggling to plow through the blizzard, and began to leap around the huge mounds of snow, already having the time of their lives.

However, Sans quickly caught sight of a translucent figure, carelessly leaping above the snow. The figure was taller than both the brothers, and soon, Papyrus caught sight of it as well as it shifted between the trees. Their sockets glowed brightly with excitement as the hurredly followed the strange figure. They saw a huge lake covered with ice, and on top of the lake were dozens upon dozens of more translucent figures, dancing and floating above the ice, their bodies illuminating the slippery substance. 

"IT'S…" Papyrus started, his eye-sockets shifting to a white glow.

"beautiful.." Sans finished, giving his brother a sly smirk.

"AMAZING!" Papyrus shot back.

"enchanting!"

Some of the spirits glided over towards the playfully arguing brothers, interest sparkling in their void-like eyes. Both Sans and Papyrus looked up in awe as they noticed there weren't just monster ancestors - there were humans, too! And the thing that especially intrigued them was that there were several skeleton figures taking interest in the brothers, their eye sockets beginning to glow in an array of colors - their default colors. Pink, purple, green, red - even some orange and blue! After several moments of both the brothers and their ancestors glaring at one another with interest, the spirits returned to their dance. Joyfully, Papyrus leapt onto the ice, sliding before promptly flopping onto his back. Sans cackled happily, following behind his brother, crashing into Papyrus as they both giggled.

"HEY!" Papyrus laughed, attempting to help Sans up before falling once more. They chuckled as two skeleton ancestors floated around them. Sans and Papyrus looked at them in awe, the spirits' eye-lights glowing their default colors before their faces became sad, their eye sockets starting to glow a bright yellow. A sharp  _ crack!  _ roared from underneath the brothers. Sans' eyes widened.

"SANS.. DID YOU HEAR THAT?" Papyrus asked, his voice unusually quiet and quivery.

Sans looked down. It wasn't bones that were cracking as he had suspected - it was the  _ ice. _ "the ice! we have to move!" He attempted to move away with Papyrus, but his brother seemed frozen with fear. He couldn't make his brother go blue then move him - Papyrus was far too heavy! Sans glanced around, his soul pounding with terror. The two ancestors were watching him intently. They were waiting for him to do something! "i-i'll…"

Finally, with his soul pounding, Sans plunged towards his brother, shoving him out of the way as the ice broke beneath him, sucking the smaller skeleton into the freezing water.

Papyrus seemed to snap out of his terrified trance immediately.  _ "SANS!"  _ He rushed towards the broken ice where his brother had fallen in, attempting to find him and lift him out with blue magic, but he couldn't even see into the pitch black water. "SANS! SANS!" He was crying out, tears starting to rush down his face, preparing to jump in to save his brother when a dark shape burst out of the water, and Sans dropped from its arms back onto the ice, his small bones rattling from the cold. Quickly, every single one of the spirits wandering about the lake seemed to fade away… 

"S-SANS! IT'S THE SHADOW!"

Sans flopped onto his back, watching the dark figure, his right eye changing between purple and yellow with terror. Without thinking, Papyrus outstretched his hand, turning the figure's soul blue and slamming them into the tree. "QUICK! RUN!" Papyrus cried, rushing over towards his brother, gripping his hand and rushing off of the ice, back onto the snow, and back towards the house. And when Papyrus quickly opened the door, they were greeted with an expected, but nonetheless shocking, sight.

"Where have you two been?"

The voice was of Carrot. He was standing right in front of the doorway inside the house, his arms folded, and disappointment fluttering in his eye sockets.

"W-WE WERE…" Papyrus quivered.

Carrot glared at Sans, who was now shivering more than he had before, and his breathing had become heavy and raspy. The smaller skeleton's arms were wrapped around his own body in an effort to keep himself warm. "You're soaked! You were at the lake, weren't you?" He demanded.

Papyrus looked down, wrapping his scarf around his shivering brother, not responding.

Carrot sighed, his gaze drifting to Papyrus, then back to Sans. "Let's get you inside before you get too sick."

"B-BUT WE SAW THE SHADOW!" Papyrus insisted, draping his arms around his brother. "IT WAS BIG AND SCARY AND… BIG… A-AND SCARY…"

"Muffet shouldn't have told you such a ridiculous story." Carrot said harshly. "It was just your imagination. There is no shadow. Now don't go out there again, especially not on your own."

The two skeleton brothers looked at one another, sighing with defeat, their eye-sockets gazing down at the ground as Carrot led them back up to the spare bedroom, locking the window and making sure that all the brothers' needs were met before finally returning to sleep. And soon, both the brothers drifted into a deep sleep, and soon forgetting about the traumatizing event. However, they just never seemed to realize how important their experience was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is HEAVILY based by a Warriors MAP I saw. Please check it out!  
> https://youtu.be/ndSBzUwhNOE 
> 
> And yeh y'all will figure out what they found out in the main stuff, but the main story will be told in side stories probably.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE SUN IS GOING DOWN AND THE FLOWERS ARE STARTING TO WILTTTTTTT

Hearing the familiar crackle of the front door opening, Papyrus felt himself relax as Undyne led the group over to the couch. The fish monster plopped down on the cushion, inviting the others to sit beside her. Papyrus watched, honestly a bit skeptical before hesitantly sitting beside his friend, Grapefruit joining. In the corner of his eye, he spotted Alphys chatting with Asriel, giving them a wave.

"Why don't you guys get something from the fridge?" Undyne suggested, giving Papyrus a glare. "I think Papyrus wants to talk about something."

"NO I DON'T," Papyrus insisted with a harsh tone. He shook his head. "SORRY, I'M FINE."

Grapefruit gave her brother a dirty glare. "Papyrus." She snapped. Even though she would never  _ biologically _ be his sister, the gloopy skeleton always seemed to be the more mature one once she grew up - he supposed Sans' harshness to her made her that way. 

"Is it Sans?" Undyne asked, turning around to make sure nobody was listening. Papyrus gulped. Whenever he talked about Sans now, she always seemed to get angry.

"I… I GUESS." Papyrus sighed. He supposed he was never good with lying.. although, his big secret was the only one he could really keep. 

Suddenly, he felt extremely aware of the plate still drilled deep into his hand.

He grumbled, shaking the thought away. "HE STILL HASN'T TOLD ME WHY HE'S MAD."

Grapefruit scoffed. "He never tells anybody anything, I'm not surprised."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Despite his anger at Sans for pushing him away, he couldn't help but defend him. This was his  _ brother, _ the only person he could lean on for eight years straight. Of course he would never turn a blind eye (funny, considering Sans had a blind eye) to his 'little brother'. "IT'S PROBABLY A REALLY IMPORTANT REASON."

Grapefruit and Undyne gave him a wordless, unblinking stare, but said nothing more. After a few painful moments of silence, Grapefruit stood to her feet. "I think we should be heading back soon, mom wanted us back by five, and it's almost four fifty."

Papyrus blinked, nodding silently as he followed after his sister. Asriel, noticing his leave, waved out, calling his name as he bid farewell.  _ I HOPE I'LL SEE HIM AGAIN BEFORE HE GOES BACK TO COLLEGE, _ He thought sadly.  _ HE'S BEEN HELPING ME WITH MY HOMEWORK BEFORE SCHOOL ENDED.  _ He signed, turning to his sister after they exited the house. 

"I'LL TAKE LITTLE LONGER," Papyrus told her, a bit hesitant. "I'LL BE HOME IN A FEW MINUTES, I JUST NEED TO DROP SOMETHING OFF AT GRILLBY'S." He sighed. He hated Grillby's. It was gross and greasy, but at least they made good milkshakes, and Grillby was pretty nice. 

Grapefruit nodded, placing a tentacle on Papyrus' back. "If you need me, my door is always open," she paused before adding, "except for when it's not." With a final, childish giggle, Grapefruit hurried back home and disappeared from Papyrus' vision. 

Now alone, Papyrus began his trot back to Grillby's, wanting to make it home before Rose and Mal began to worry - his parents were badasses with guns and advanced magical capabilities, and he didn't want them to think something happened to him. Finally stopping to breathe, he leaned against the walls of the restaurant. He stood for a few moments, fiddling in his backpack for the book Grillby had let him borrow. It was a cooking book he had used for several months, but had memorized all of the recipes, and no longer needed the book. He was about to open the door, but stopped, hearing voices chattering inside.

**_"...we know he's waiting by the edge of the city, we just have to get to him first."_ **

Papyrus lifted a bony eyebrow. What was his father doing down here? He was strictly aware of the ongoing war between Ebbot City and Grapefruit's villainous father, Nightmare (or, as he insisted on being called, "King Nightmare"), but why were they talking about this now? Pushing aside his thoughts, he heard the voice of his foster father, Red. Oh, boy. Red didn't like Mal very much.

"And what do you expect us to do," Red snapped loudly. Papyrus could probably guess whoever still lived in Mt. Ebbot could hear that. "rush in blindly and hope we catch them by surprise?"

**_"no,"_ ** Papyrus could imagine Mal shaking his head.  **_"rushing in blindly won't win a war, it'll get everyone killed. but we need as many monsters and humans as possible for this. maybe everyone in the city if possible."_ **

Papyrus shifted. He couldn't figure this out. Everyone in the city? What did he not know about? He stiffened up as he heard Grillby's echoey voice - of course he would be there.

_ "And what do you expect to be doing with the children?" _ He asked. Papyrus could hear his flames crackle, even from where he stood.  _ "They can't be sent out to war, and there wouldn't be enough people to watch over them all." _

**_"blueberror can watch them. he's strong enough to handle all of them and himself. anyone else is free to do the same."_ **

"I think the younger Geno would be a good pick, too. He couldn't survive the war, even if he tried."

Papyrus squirmed a bit behind the door, holding his breath. Of course they'd be sending Blueberror to watch them. Of course they weren't allowed to help. 

_ "So, I'll gather everyone?" _

**_"yeah. only thing we can do is fight. night doesn't get any more mercy."_ **

"Not like he got any in the first place."

Papyrus couldn't hear it anymore. What was going to happen to his family? Tearing himself away from the door, he grabbed his phone as he rushed home, struggling to type the letters to gather his friends and family.

He didn't know what was happening, but he knew it wasn't something anybody wanted, and he knew that no way in hell would it end well.


End file.
